Arch Angel: Harbringer of Death
by watchingpaintdry
Summary: They ARE the reinforcements, but they are not alone. Enter the Next Stage, a combat unit led by the infamous ArchAngel. But will their presence really make a difference? Or are they all destined to die?
1. Enter the Next Stage

X-X-X-X-X

X-X-X-X-X

((RRTS Special Ops Clearance Verified))

((Handler ID: Baby Face))

((Handler ID: Sunny))

((Handler ID: Mach 6))

((Handler ID: Torque))

((Handler ID: ArchAngel))

"Mars? Ya gotta be shittin' me." Mach quipped, pulling back the safety on his gun, grinning. Torque rolled his eyes, setting his own gun quietly on his lap. Baby was fidgeting with the butt of his own firearm, looking nervous, but found himself whacked upside the head by Sunny.

"Quite fidgeting, Baby Face. Consider yourself one lucky sonofabitch, your first mission, and you get to go to Mars." Sunny was cut off with a swift kick in the shin by their Captain, and the only female on board.

Gabriel "ArchAngel" Sebastian glared at her 3rd lieutenant from her seat across from Torque, their second.

"Leave the kid alone, Sunny." She snapped, sliding a bullet into the chamber and pulling back the safety. The tall Peruvian rolled his eyes, sitting back in his seat, sending the newbie a knowing glance when their commander's face was turned. He gave a pained yelp when Angel smacked him in the head with the butt of her gun.

"Try is again, and I'll shoot you." She snarled. Sunny glanced at her nervously. Their commander wasn't one to joke, and the last time she had told someone she would shoot them, she had.

((Arrival at Ark in Nine Zero seconds.))

"Ready, Baby Face?" Asked Mach, grinning at the gangly newcomer. The 4th lieutenant gulped, but nodded.

Angel rolled her eyes, stepping down from the helicopter, her men trailing behind as a pair of elevator doors pinged open and they were on their way, dropping quickly to the Ark level.

"Nice of you to…"

"Hello, Pinky." Said Angel sarcastically, cutting off the cripple, who glared.

"Hello, Angel."

A pause followed as the team circled the little bleeping light in the apex of the circle on the floor. Angel's silvery grey eyes flicked to the sweater clad cripple, who was still glaring at her.

"It's been a while." He ground out. Torque grunted, lifting his gun slightly, the tip leveled to a point somewhere around the scientist's mechanical wheels. He backed away quickly.

"Sunny, take point." Angel said calmly. The addressed man gulped; sweat breaking out on his brow.

'Shit.' He thought. 'She's still mad.'

"Sunny?" Angel had an eyebrow raised. Crap. She was daring him to argue.

Sunny reluctantly stepped forward as the familiar grey-transparent 'blob' rose from the floor, wriggling rather disgustingly in the air.

((…3…2…1…))

And he was on Mars.

X-X-X-X-X


	2. Introductions

X-X-X-X-X

X-X-X-X-X

"So…uh…what was that…uh, thing, with the…uh…Pinky guy?" asked Baby, sweeping his eyes nervously over the air where they had materialized. Angel and Mach were still on earth, and Sunny only glared, leaving Torque to answer.

"Pinky used to be engaged to Angel's sister. They never got along very well."

Baby shut up after that, as the air glowed and Mach materialized, followed quickly by Angel.

"Let's roll out." Said Torque.

X-X-X-X-X

"Sarge, I assume?" said Angel, her gun still leveled at the huge man's chest. He glanced pointedly at it, and she leveled it lower, at his crotch.

"And you are?"

"ArchAngel. This is my second in command, Torque. My third and fourth Mach 6 and Sunny. And, finally, the newest member of our little band of merry "men", Baby Face." She said, nodding towards each individual as she named them.

Sarge's eyebrow rose, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly.

"And…why are you here?" he asked, rather pointedly.

"We received a radio transmission a little while ago, said you boys required assistance." Said Mach, glancing around the brightly lit lab with interest.

"Pinky?" asked Sarge, using the com-link.

"Transmission was from…Portman." Came the rather snark reply. Sarge let out a frustrated growl, while Angel raised an eyebrow.

"Problems?" she asked casually. Reaper glared at her, she smirked at him.

"I wouldn't touch that." Said Duke, nodding pointedly towards the body of the creature that Baby had been leaning over. The youngster blinked, before backing away quickly, as though scalded.

"I said no back-up." Said Sarge, casting a critical glance Angel's way. Sunny suddenly snorted, lifting his gun to rest it against his shoulder.

"It's no use, Angel. He's one a' 'those'. We won't be getting' any more of a warm welcome than this."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Destroyer, a hostile growl emanating from the back of his throat. Angel sighed in annoyance, before whacking Sunny upside the head…again.

"You might wanna get that checked." She said, before turning to Mach.

"What, the concussion?" asked Sunny angrily as he rubbed the back of his head. Angel paused, before turning back to face him.

"No," she said sarcastically.

"You seem to have a severe case of 'Stupidity'."

Turning back to Mach, ignoring Sunny's gape of incredulity, she spoke.

"Take Sunshine and Baby Face back to the Ark. If anything gets by you and you survive, I will shoot you."

Mach nodded, before gesturing for Baby and Sunny to precede him, which they did, though slightly reluctantly.

"What did he mean by that, exactly?" asked Duke, head tilted slightly. Angel sighed, and, again, Torque answered for her.

"We've had…problems…before, with people underestimating us, because our Commander is a woman." Angel rolled her eyes.

"I can see why." Said a sudden voice. Angel's head snapped up, silvery eyes locking with green. A grin suddenly spread across her face.

"Well, I'll be. If it isn't Sam-I-Am." She said, quick strides taking her to the other woman's side, where she gave her a one armed hug.

"Good to see you too Gabby, since when have you been a Marine?"

"3 years ago."

"You made Commander that quickly?"

"And…you're surprised…why?"

"Point."

"Ergo, we should get going. If that thing is just the beginning," she gestured to 'the thing'. "Then I don't wanna be here when the REALLY bad shit hits the fan and starts rolling downhill, towards us."

X-X-X-X-X


	3. So, which one are you?

X-X-X-X-X

X-X-X-X-X

"Torque, stay with Sam. Sarge, if you don't mind, could I borrow a few of your boys to take point?" Angel asked, giving him her best sarcastic puppy dog eyes. He glared at her.

"Reaper, go with Angel." Said Sarge. She sighed, rolling her eyes, before leveling her gun and heading out around the corner, light sweeping the darkened hall.

X-X-X-X-X

"So, which one are you?" Angel asked casually. Reaper glanced at her, and found a flash of glassy silver in the dark. Her outline was barely visible, but it was still there.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, gun still sweeping the hall.

"I mean, which one of the team are you? You must have done something horrendous to piss this 'Sarge' guy off, he did send you with 'the girl' after all."

"You are aware that he can hear you?" he asked, a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. He could almost hear her grinning ridiculously.

"Aw, but that's what makes insulting someone sooooo much more fun."

"Stop flirting with the man and stay focused, please?" came Torque's voice over the com-link. Angel sighed.

"Yes, mom." She said sarcastically.

X-X-X-X-X

"So, why do they call you ArchAngel?" asked Duke over the com-link.

There was a brief pause.

"Cause 'I'm the Angel of freakin' death.'" She said sarcastically. Torque could be heard snorting over the line, and a quiet snicker from Mach followed shortly afterwards.

"What?" asked Kid.

"Old movie, forget it. As to the first question, it's something of an inside joke. Besides…" swift movement, and she stopped, her gun snapping back up to the area where she had seen the shift in shadow.

"What is it?" asked Reaper, coming up behind her, gun at the ready.

"Saw something," she whispered, light flicking slightly from side to side across the wall.

Another flicker of movement, and Angel's gun snapped around, but there was nothing there.

"Sure she's not just skittish?" asked Sarge over the com-link, sounding annoyed. An angry growl from Torque silenced him.

"Angel doesn't get 'skittish'." He snarled.

Reaper, who was still standing just behind Angel, raised an eyebrow at her. She glanced over her shoulder at him, shrugging.

"Thank you, Torque. That was gushingly sentimental." She said. A grunt was her only reply.

X-X-X-X-X


	4. Man Down

X-X-X-X-X

X-X-X-X-X

"Hey, Angel." Came Baby's nervous voice over the link.

"Present." She said.

"Uh, well, Sunny's acting strange." He said. Angel paused before answering.

"You mean, stranger than usual?" she asked. She waited a few seconds.

"Okay, now I'm intrigued. If he's not answering that obvious a glib, something's wrong. Describe it, Baby."

"He went to take a leak, and when he got back he was actin' kinda funny."

"Funny? Funny how?" asked Angel, a tone of annoyance in her voice.

A strangled, guttural shriek suddenly reverberated through the com-link.

"Baby? BABY?!" Angel shouted, before turning and running down the hallway, hanging a quick right, heading towards the Ark.

"Reaper, stay with Angel!" Sarge yelled over the com-link.

"Meet us at the Ark!" John yelled over the line, trying to keep up with the smaller, faster woman.

"Damnit!" he yelled. She was gone.

He had lost her.

X-X-X-X-X

"Baby!" Angel yelled into the com-link, leaping down the last few steps to land on the Ark floor. Looking out over it, she froze.

Baby lay, splattered across the floor in several bloody pieces. Mach was pinned to the wall with his own gun, and Sunny was nowhere to be seen.

"SHIT!" she swore, bypassing Baby's prone 'body' to kneel beside Mach.

"Mach, come on Mach, talk to me."

"Angel, what is it?" yelled Torque's voice over the link. She ignored him.

"Mach…" she began, but stopped as his hand reached out to clutch her wrist.

"Hey, b-boss." He managed, blood dribbling from the side of his mouth.

"Hey, stranger." She said, gripping his bloody hand in her own.

"A-angel, it…it was S-Sunny." Mach coughed, blood splattering across the cold metal floor. Angel nodded, gulping.

"I know." She said.

"Hey, b-boss. You…you said th-that if…if something…somehow…got by us…y-you would…sh-shoot me…" he managed, a smile curling his lips. Angel took a deep breath, but nodded. Reaching out, she took the cross from around Mach's neck and placed it in his hand, curling his bloody fingers around it. He mumbled something that sounded like a prayer.

"See you…on the other side." He said.

Angel stood, pulling her pistol from her hip.

"Till next time." She said, and pulled the trigger.

X-X-X-X-X


	5. Poisoned

X-X-X-X-X

X-X-X-X-X

"Angel, report." Said Torque.

"Baby and Mach are both dead. No need to bring the rest down here, trust me, it ain't pretty, but keep your eyes open for Sunshine, seems he's flipping leaves on us."

"You're kidding." Said Torque.

"Nope."

Torque could be heard swearing over the line, but Angel wasn't paying attention, too pre-occupied with the Marine advancing on her from the other side of the room.

"Hello, Commander."

"Sunshine."

"Angel?" Torque's voice was worried. She had never heard him sound worried. Never, ever.

But this was different.

"How many rounds left, eh, Angel?" asked Sunny, advancing on her slowly.

"Eh, maybe two clips." She said.

"Not enough for me."

"Maybe not," she said, smirking.

He lunged, closing on his former commander in a matter of seconds. She, however, already had the gun leveled in his face when he reached for her. Finger squeezing the trigger, bullets plugging into flesh, but he batted the firearm away like it was nothing. It was only then that she saw the glint of metal in his hand.

Knife.

Shit.

Sudden gunfire resounded through the vaulted space, felling Sunny where he stood, splattering his blood across the already messy floor.

"What took you so long?" she asked, directing her question to Reaper, who stood above her on the catwalk.

"You're fast." He said.

"I'll take that as a compliment." She replied, standing from her crouched position on the floor.

X-X-X-X-X

"Meet us back at the lab, Sarge." Said Reaper over the com-link.

"You two okay?" it was Sam.

"Yes, Sammy, perfectly fine." Said Angel, not looking at Reaper. It did not go unnoticed.

Switching off his com-link, he walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you really?" She glanced up at him, a frown playing across her lips. She, too, reached up to switch off her com-link. Now, both of them could hear the others, but they themselves could not be heard.

"I'll be fine."

He raised his eyebrows. She sighed in frustration, indicating her shoulder, where a rivulet of blood was oozing through a cut in the material of her vest.

"It's a hunting knife, it's not life threatening."

He nodded, before the both of them headed out, back towards the lab.

X-X-X-X-X

"Angel?" Torque sounded nervous. She sighed.

"It's nothing. Sunny, Mach, and Baby are all dead."

"If it was nothing, you wouldn't have said it was nothing. You would have made some glib joke about it being something." Torque snapped. Reaper looked at her, apprehension creasing his face. She rolled her eyes.

"It was a hunting knife…"

"Sunny's?" Torque suddenly sounded very, very, very worried.

"Yes? Why?" she asked, brow's knitting together. Torque swore loudly, and could be heard yelling to Sam.

"Tell me you have anti-toxin up here?"

"Yes? Why?" came the other woman's voice.

"Because, Sunny always smeared his hunting knives with poisons. Liked to watch his victims scream in pain while they died."

"Charming." Said Reaper.

"Truly." Angel replied.

"Angel, you've got to get back here, NOW!"

"What kind and how long?" she asked.

"Why?"

"Cause we're still three levels below you."

More swearing over the line.

"That bad, huh?" she asked.

"Kinda."

"Why did I never know about this?"

"Cause you woulda flipped."

"Like I am now?"

"Reaper," It was Sarge. "Get Angel back up here, ASAP!"

"Come on," he said, gesturing for her to hurry up. She nodded, and started to follow him, but suddenly stopped, a hand reaching out to support her weight against the wall.

"Angel?"

He turned to find her sprawled on the floor.

"Shit!"

"Reaper?"

"Man down!"

X-X-X-X-X

"How long until this stuff kills her?" asked Duke, glancing at Torque, who sighed, shaking his head.

"I dunno. Sunny liked to differentiate. He picked different poisons randomly for every mission we went on. There's no telling what got into her system."

"Actually, yes there is." Said Sam, glancing through a microscope at the blood she had taken from Angel.

Reaper had physically carried Angel in, having surprisingly not run into any of the demons on his way up. Now, he turned to his sister.

"How?"

"Because it's not a poison." She said calmly, walking over to Angel's side.

"Then what the hell is it?" asked Destroyer.

Sam glanced nervously around at them all. Torque tensed, moving to Angel's other side. Whatever the news, he was sure it wasn't good.

"It's C-24."

"WHAT?"

You treated her?"

Sarge's voice suddenly boomed out over the clamor of voices.

"You let her live, knowing full well what she was?!" he shouted, advancing on Sam, his gun raising. She gulped, but held her ground.

"The virus differentiates from person to person. Not all people become monsters. Angel hasn't changed for the worse, so I don't think she will."

"Then what the hell is she?!" yelled Torque, eyes still locked on Sarge, who looked as though he were about to snap. Sam sighed.

"She'll develop traits similar to Lucy. Super strength, super speed, super intelligence, super fitness. She'll…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. You said this thing differentiates from person to person. How the hell does it do that?" asked Duke.

"There are specific genes that can predict sociopathic or violent behavior. The virus reacts differently whether a person has them or not."

"So you're saying that she won't turn into a monster?" asked Torque.

"Yes,"

"Yes, what?"

"Yes, she's NOT going to turn into a monster."

"So what happens when she wakes up?" asked Reaper.

"I don't know."

X-X-X-X-X


End file.
